On Saturday The Johan Christoffersson 4 played at Katalin at an concert arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club. The band plays modern jazz and while my main consumtion of jazz is swing, I really liked their music.
They are very good musicians and what I like most about them apart from the music is the joy of playing that they have, they are having fun on the stage and I love watching the interaction between the band members.
Johan Christoffersson 4 consists of Johan Christoffersson (saxophone), Filip Ekestubbe (piano), Petter Olofsson (bass) and Sebastian Ågren (drums).
In the first set they played Nardis, It could happen to you, Joshua but also some of their own songs like Lucky Number 7 (by Petter Olofsson) and The Hip World of Klaus Wunderlich.
In the second set they continued with a song of their own: Grova händer and then they played songs like Night and Day (by Cole Porter) and Goodbye Porkpie Hat.
The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.
Did you visit the jazz concert with Johan Christoffersson 4? What did you think of them? Tell me.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Johan Christoffersson 4: Concert Photos
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Johan Christoffersson 4 at Katalin
If you like modern jazz, you should check out the band Johan Christoffersson 4 at Katalin today at 14. They won The Youth Jazz Contest 2007 arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.
Johan Christoffersson 4 consists of Johan Christoffersson (saxophone), Filip Ekestubbe (piano), Petter Olofsson (bass) and Sebastian Ågren (drums).
The concert costs 100 kr (If you're younger than 25, you'll get in for free!)
And don't miss to come and see and dance to Palladium at Grand Swing Party tonight.
Have you heard Johan Christoffersson 4? What do you think of them? Tell me.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Uppsala Jazz Club: Spring Program 2008
Uppsala Jazz Club has released the concert program (pdf) for the spring. A lot of good concerts are coming up:
Saturday February 16th
Hacke Björkstens 3G (Three Generations)
Hacke Björksten, saxophone
Karl Olandersson, trumpet
Ulf Johansson Werre, piano
Arne Wilhelmsson, bass
Mathias Puttonen, drums
Saturday February 23rd
Johan Christoffersson 4
The winners of Youth Jazz Contest 2007
Johan Christoffersson, saxophone
Filip Ekestubbe, piano
Petter Olofsson, bass
Sebastian Ågren, drums
Saturday March 8th
Lars Erstrand Four
Lars Erstrand, vibraphone
Bertil Fernqvist, guitar
Arne Wilhelmsson, bass
Björn Sjödin, drums
Saturday April 5th
Emily McEwan and Kjell Fernström kvartett
Kjell Fernström, piano
Ola Botzén, drums
Per Nilsson, bass
Claes Askelöf, guitar
Saturday April 19th
Gerschwin on Guitar
Andreas Pettersson, guitar
Daniel Tilling, piano
Martin Sjöstedt, bass
Daniel Fredriksson, drums
Which concerts are most interesting to you? Tell me.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Youth Jazz Contest in Uppsala 2007: Photos
The Youth Jazz Contest in took place yesterday at Reginateatern in Uppsala. Young jazz musicians competed with their music. There were six groups who performed 2 songs each:
- Trio From Hell
- Yenny Alpsten Duo
- Jazzseptetten B13
- Johan Christoffersson 4
- Henrik & Anton Duo
- Future Sound Of Sweden
The winners of Youth Jazz Contest 2007 was Johan Christoffersson 4 which consists of Johan Christoffersson (saxophone), Filip Ekestubbe (piano), Petter Olofsson (bass) and Sebastian Ågren (drums).
I think the jury made the right choice because these guys were clearly the best group when it comes to musicianship and ensamble play. I really liked the way the bass player and drummer interacted, they were in the pocket and kept it swinging. Johan Christoffersson had the the best sound of all saxophone players. I'm looking forward to hearing them in the spring.
The winners played bop jazz but there were all kinds of jazz styles represented there, but unfortunatly no real swing music. Jazzseptetten B13 played the most swinging music which I liked. I also enjoyed the soft jazz with Henrik & Anton Duo, particulary the trumpet playing by Henrik Grim. Henrik won the jury's price for best individual performance.
Future Sound Of Sweden play jazz with a lot of influences from funk. They took third place. If there had been a price for entusiasm it should have been awarded to them too.
Second place was awarded to Yenny Alpsten Duo which played free jazz. I enjoy most forms of music, but free jazz is not one of them. I can't find anything in it that I appreciate. It must have a pulse, a rhythm or a melody. Free jazz, by definition, has none of that. If you are a fan of free jazz, would you please comment and tell me what attracts you to the music, I really like to know.
I missed the women in this competition, of all the contestant there were not a single one. Why is that? I hope there are young women playing jazz somewhere, even though they weren't in this competition.
Footnote:
The jury was instructed to rank the contestants with the following things in mind:
- Group feeling/ ensemble play between the band members
- Individual proficiency at their instruments
- Feeling for the particular style of jazz they've chosen to play
- Additional factors to consider: Joy of playing and originality in choice of music and arrangements
The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.
Were you at Youth Jazz Contest 2007? What do you think of it? Which group was your favorite? Tell me.
